Improvement in polishing-irons



W. W. NIXON. Polishing-Irons.

Patented Dec. 3,1878.

wt fir $nven't0r '1 n sags: Q 55 g M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALLACE w. NIXON, or PAnKEnsBUne, WEST VIRGINIA.

I MPROVEMENT lN POLISHING-IRONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2 [0,55 l, datedDecember 3, 1878; application filed September 18, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WALLACE WV. NIXON, of Parkersburg, in the county ofWood and State of West Virginia, have invented certain newand usefulImprovements in Combined Glossing and Molding Irons for Laundry Use; andI do hereby declare that the following is full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appert-ains to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is aback-end view.

My invention relates to a combined smoothing, glossing, and moldingiron. Experience teaches that small surfaces are better than largesurfaces for glossing starched articles;

and hence, in most laundries, the favorite isv the heel-iron, which isan ordinary sad-iron having a rounded heel. To polish with that iron twoseparate operations are required,.one to smooth with thesmooth surfaceof the iron, and the other to polish with the rounded heel; and toproduce a thorough polish numerous rapid motions are required, with ahard pressure of the heel upon the starched article, while the point ofthe iron is held in an elevated position, which process is tiresome andstraining to the arm of the operator.

The object of my invention is to provide an iron that will smooth andgloss by the same operation, and with nearly the same ease and in thesame time as the one operation of ironing with the ordinary sad-iron;and also to provide an iron constructed to readily mold collars andcuffs into the proper shape for use. I accomplish this by making an ironhaving its entire face on the same plane, provided with small roundedsurfaces, separated from each other by continuous grooves extendingacross the face of the iron and rounded on the edges, and having acorrugated curved point and a double heel, as hereinafter described, andas shown in the drawings.

A represents the iron, provided with an ordinary handle, B. The face ofthe iron is corrugated transversely, forming the rounded surfaces b,separated from each other by the grooves 0, extending entirely acrossthe face of the iron. These rounded parts are made with smallbearing-surfaces, as shown in the A drawings, for the reason abovestatedthat small surfaces polish more readily and better than largesurfaces.

The point of the iron is rounded and corrugated, as shown at d, tofacilitate the polishing of the small surfaces around the collars andbands of shirts and between the plaits, accessible only to the point ofthe iron; and the heel is rounded and provided with the two roundedsurfaces (1 61 forming a double heel, for molding collars and cuffs.

The ends of the corrugations forming the longitudinal edges of the faceof the iron are rounded, as shown at f, to prevent catching, wearing, orcutting the goods, which the ends of these corrugations would be liableto do if left square and the corners sharp.

In using this iron, the entire corrugated face rests on the starchedfabric, avoiding the strain upon the arm produced in holding the pointor heel of the iron in an elevated position, as required in using theother irons herein referred to; and each one of the numerous surfaces ofthis iron produces at each motion of the iron an effect equal to theeffect of one motion of the entire one-surface iron; and hence it isreadily seen that this iron will polish about as much by a single motionas a o1'iesurfaceiron will polish by as many motions as there areseparate polishing-surfaces upon this iron, the smoothing and polishingbeing performed at the same time and by the same part of the iron.

In using the double heel the collar or cuff to be molded is arrangedwith one end toward the operator, and the point of the iron in the samedirection. The rounded surface 01' of the heel is pressed with one handupon the farther end of the collar, for example; and as the iron isdrawn toward the operator the farther end of the collar is drawn by theother hand in the same direction over the rounded surface 61- of theheel, which process, with the aid of the heat of the iron, curls thecollar into the required shape. Cuffs are molded in the same way; and itis found that the separate rounded surfaces (1 (1 or double heel,operate betterin this molding process than one continuous curve orsingle heel.

I am aware of a polishing-iron having indentations in a continuous fiatsurface, and of an iron having a flat smoothing-surface on one plane andtwo large polishing-surfaces on a11- other plane. My iron differs fromthe former in having separate polishing-surfaces extend- -ing entirelyacross the face of the iron, the

both in having a corrugated curved point for polishing the smallsurfaces accessible only to the point of the iron, and having the doubleheel for molding collars and cuffs.

That I claim as new is- The combined smoothing and glossin g iron,having its entire face 011 the same plane, provided with the smallrounded surfaces I), separated from each other by continuous grooves 0,extending across the face of the iron, and rounded, as shown at], andhaving the corrugated curved point d and the double heel d d",substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

\VALLACE WV. NIXON.

\Vitnesses:

(,T. B. TowLEs, J. H. Roonns.

